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Bernie Ecclestone called Fred Goodwin, the chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, to ask for help to finance a takeover of Formula One.

F1’s chief executive revealed today in the High Court in London how CVC Capital Partners, the private equity business, wanted to put together a bid in 2005 but admitted that they were short of money.

Ecclestone simply picked up the phone and called Goodwin, who infamously became known as “Fred the Shred” for his high-profile role in the near-collapse of the bank. Goodwin bankrolled several sports stars during his era in charge of one of